Hebbebt autoed humphrey



H. A. HUMPHBEY.

APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING AN EXPANSIVE FORCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-2B. I915.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

Riven/ar- M1 56M Jriay w MAL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT strnnnnunrnnnv, or LONDON, nivonnivn, ASSIGNOR To HUMPI-IREY GA S PUMZP COMPANY, A conronArron on NEW Tonic.

ArrAaATUs ron UTILIZIN AN EXPANSIVE roncn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

Original application filed June 13, 1908, Serial No. 438,425. Patent No. 1,243,296, dated October 16, 1917. Divided and this application filed September 28, 1915. Serial No. 53,090.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, I'IERBERT ALFRED HUM: PI-IREY, a subject of the King of Great Britain,,residing in London, England, have ins vented a new and useful Apparatus for Utilizing-an Expansive Force, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in method and means for utilizing the expan sive 'lorce ofa primary medium. The object is to provide improved method and means whereby this expansive force may be utilized in causing the reciprocation of a body of liquid of suflicient bulk and path of travel with velocities su'l'lioiently redueedto acquire useful momentum, and utilizing the momentum of the liquid body whereby liquid is delivered to a greater head or energy is stored and fresh liquid is entrained. This application is a division of the Patent No. 1,243,296 dated Oct. 16, 1917 and is directed especially to the method and means illustrated in Figures 16, 19 and 22 of said original application and the parts of the specification relating thereto.

In the specific examples illustrated and described, the primary medium is a. charge of combustible gas or gases under pressure adapted to be ignited so that the combustion and expansion of same will occur in combustion chamber 1. It is obvious that other prime mediums having initial pressure and subsequent expansive force may also be utilined in comiection withthis invention.

Referring to thecdrawings whichillustrate merely by way of example suitable embodiment of my invention-1 Fig. 1 is a vertical section of apparatus showing my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a modification of the power chamber end of the device.

'Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the dashpot and associated mechanism shown in Fig. 2. i i i similar'numerals refer to. similar parts throughoutthe several views.

The expansion chamber is indicated by the numeral. 1, into which an .expansible charge introduced through a valvelocated at the top thereof as already fully described in a number of my patents and copending applications. This charge is put under compression by the weight of the column of water or its momentum and then expanded against the column of liquid extending from the expansion chamber 1 into the play pipe 3 and causes the movement of the liquid column in the play pipe outwardly toward the air chamber 49 in which the air is com pressed until the float attached to valve 5 causes the elevation of the valve to close communication between said air chamber 49 and said play pipe 3, whereupon, the liquid column being unable to come to rest imme diately, the liquid is forced upwardly past valve 6 into air chamber 7 and through discharge pipe 8 until the momentum of the outmoving column is spent whereupon valve 6 closes and the elastic cushion compressed inthe top of air chamber 49 re-acts upon the column of liquid in play pipe 3 to cause a return stroke, which may be utilized either for expelling the exhaust in chamber 1 or in compressing a fresh charge, depending upon whether the device is operated as a two-cycle or four-cycle apparatus, all of which has been fully explained in the original Patent 1,243,296, dated Oct. 16, 1917 of' which this is a division and need not be further dwelt upon in this case.

Under ordinary conditions, after the pres sure is suliiciently reduced in chamber 1, valve 4 is thrown over, usually by water entering through pipe 2, into the dotted position 4 and the continued movement of the column of liquid in play pipe 3, due to its momentum, will cause a suction of fresh liquid through. pipe 20 past valve 9.

. WVhere however the source of liquid supply'is located at a level considerably below the apparatus, a new method and means for raising the liquid will now be described in connection with Fig." 1 of the drawings. A portion pf the energy of expansion of the charge in chamber 1 is directed to'act upon piston 14 in a cylinder 15, and to compress an elastic cushion in the top portion of this cylindenthus either high pressure liquid or high pressure products of oombustionmay be conducted to thelower part 16 of cylinder 15 toraise the piston 14:; the inlet valve 17 and the outlet valve 18 servingto allow entrance and discharge of the operating medium, The piston 14 is attached by red 19 to piston 21 working in cylinder22; On the upward strolgeliquid is drawn into the cylinder 22 past valve 23 from any suitable sour e 0fsupp y n t s ow nd n h down stroke is discharged through the valve 24. The discharged liquid is arranged to have an injector action and so raise liquid from the low level supply not shown past valve 48. The release of the elastic cushion may be brought about by the action of valve 4 through arm 25 and rod 26 and crank 27 as shown.

In the foregoing description the combustible charge has been drawn into the apparatus. The charge may equally Well be introduced under pressure and for this purpose it may be pumped in or otherwise forced in by any known device, preferably after the products of combustion have been expelled. It is economical, however, to apply a portion of the energy of the combustion at each cycle to put the combustible mixture or a constituent thereof under sulficient pressure to enable it to enter the chamher at the desired moment.

A suitable device for this purpose is shown in Fig. 2. A number of pistons 28, 29 and 30, in this case limited to three, are linked together by a rod 31. One of the pistons 29 is adapted to be acted upon either by the fluid which is subject to the pressure of'the ignited combustible gases, or directly by the ignited gases the1nselves,-and the said piston is preferably placed in a branch or limb 38 of the discharge pipe or of the combustion chamber '1. In the present case the piston is shown as acted upon by the fluid in the discharge or play pipe 3. The piston 28 works in a cylinder 32 in the upper part of which is fitted an inletvalve 41 for a combustible charge and an outlet valve 43 controlling a pipe 33 which leads to the combustion chamber 1. In the lower part 34 of cylinder 32 is an elastic fluid confined therein by the valve 46 and serving to form an elastic cushion to store energy. It is necessary that this stored energy should be retained until the moment it is required to inject combustiblecharge into the combustion chamber 1, and for this purpose the piston 30 may work in a dash-pot 35, fitted with a by-pass 36 controlled by a suitable valve 37. The branch 38 in which piston 29 works is prolonged and turned upward with a closed end so as to form the air vessel 39.

The piston 29 will then work with liquid on both sides and the air vessel 39 will serve to store energy in the same manner as the elastic cushion inthe lower portion 34 of cylinder 32. i i

WVhen combustion occurs in chamber '1, the piston 29 makes a downward stroke which is limited by the pressure of the elastic cushion and islocked in position by the oil or other fluid in the dash-pot 35 which is passed freely through suitable non-return valves 40 from the bottom to the top side of piston 30 during the downward stroke, but is unable to return. During the said downward stroke combustible charge, or a constituent thereof, is drawn in through the valve 41 which may close under the action of a spring. When valve 4, having changed its position, returns to its first position and so closes communication between the supply pipe and the combustion chamber, it opens the by-pass equilibrium valve 37 by means of arm 42, rod 42, tappet or nut 44 and crank 44, thus allowing the oil in the dashpot to return from the top of the dashpot to the bottom and thus to release the energy of the elastic cushion in 34 and of the air vessel 39. The linked pistons then make an upward stroke, and the expansible charge drawn into the top part of cylinder 32 or a portion thereof, is forced past valve 43 and valve 47 into the combustion chamber. WVhen this occurs there may, if desired, already be in the top portion of the expansion chamber a quantity of air or other combustible constituent previously drawn in by an oscillation in the chamber of the kind already described. Fora given pressure of combustion, the quantity of combustible charge drawn into the cylinder .32, will depend on the original volume and pressure of the elastic cushioning medium contained in the portion 34 of the cylinder if air vessel39 is not used, consequently the length of stroke may be altered by varying the'eifective volume. For the latter purpose an additional air vessel 45 communicating with the lower portion 34 of cylinder 32 and controlled by a cock 35 may be used. Thus when this cock is open, the effective quantity of'elastic medium is that contained both in the lower portion 34 of cylinder 32 and in the air vessel 45. 1 By varying the amount of opening ofcock 35 the quantity of charge drawn in, and subsequently forced into the combustion chamber, can be regulated. Again by varying the relative diameters of the pistons 2Sand 29 the pressure at which the charge is forced into the expansion chamber may be varied.

That I claimis:- i

1., A play pipe for the free and variable reciprocation of liquid, a power chamber for an expansible medium for causing the power stroke of said reciprocative movement, means operated upon by the power stroke' of the liquid. to store power to cause the return stroke, a pumping device and a piston connected therewith actuatedby the reciprocating liquid during the power stroke to compress anelastic fluid,said "compressed elastic fluid 'adaptedto react upon the piston to cause the pumping action.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, in

which means are provided for controlling the reaction of thecompressed elastic fluid.

play pipe connected therewith for the free reciprocation of a liquid column, a valve operating to interrupt communication between the play pipe and power chamber, a cylinder and piston operating in said cylinder actuated in one direction by power impulses of the primary medium, means forming an elastic cushion adapted to be compressed by said piston and to cause a return stroke of said piston, means controlled by said valve 10 HERBERT ALFRED HUMPHREY! Witnesses:

JOSEPH WILLARD, W. J. SKERTEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

